Shawcross: I won't change my game

04 March 2010 11:21

Shawcross has dominated the back pages since the weekend following a challenge on Ramsey that left the Arsenal midfielder with a badly broken leg.

Arsene Wenger was enraged by the tackle, labelling it 'horrendous', but Shawcross has been backed by his club and a number of other players and managers, including England chief Fabio Capello.

Both Shawcross and Tony Pulis have contacted Ramsey with messages of support since the incident and Gunners foward Theo Walcott, who was with Shawcross in the England squad this week, says there are "no hard feelings" between the clubs.

He said: "Ryan spoke to me about it all. He is a very humble lad and a great defender. He knows what has happened and he feels bad for that, but he has apologised.

"He is not a player to do those sort of tackles. He will put his head down and work very hard for his club and country, I'm sure of that."

Shawcross has thanked those who have supported him and vowed to keep playing the game as it comes naturally.

"Whenever I play for Stoke I am 100 per cent committed and that will be the same as ever when I next play," he told the Stoke Sentinel.

"Hopefully, when I am back from suspension, I can do well again. The fans and a lot of people around me have been fantastic in their support over the past few days."

Shawcross admits that linking up with the national side has helped him put the incident to the back of his mind.

"The other players have been fantastic. It has been about football really, nothing else," he added.

"I have enjoyed it thoroughly with England. It has been a tough few days, but all I can do now is look forward and hopefully get back in this squad again.

"I've been called into the squad and there's a lot of good players in it, but hopefully I can do well over the next couple of months and get my chance."